Blog Post 5

For my study, I am examining whether the density of ash trees (total number of trees) in a 25X25  foot plot is correlated the rate of infestation of emerald ash borer. To measure this I initially looked whether there are serpentine galleries in the bark of the trees or if there are fissures in the bark. I noted the total number of trees in each plot and the total number of trees that showed evidence of infestation.

Based on my initial data one issue I had was ensuring not to double count trees within the 5 plots which I was observing ash trees. I overcame this challenge by marking trees with pink chalk. Another challenge I had when looking at the bark for serpentine galleries or fissures was that the ash trees are quite tall so it is hard to notice either of these signs of emerald ash borer presence up top in the canopy (even with binoculars). Additionally, on some trees I noticed serpentine trails in a small area of the tree where the bark had fallen off, this made me wonder just how many of the other trees had serpentine trails underneath the bark that I was unable to observe. Based on this I suspect my initial results on how infected ash trees in the plots were by emerald ash borer could be significantly lower than the reality. I will revisit the same plots as last time (I noted the GPS coordinates of my five 25 X 25 foot plots), however, I will also be taking note if there are other factors of emerald ash borer presence to get a better diagnostic of the health of the ash trees. For example, I will look to see if there are D-shaped emerald ash borer exit holes in the bark or if there are signs of woodpecker activity as well.